I am now going home in under 48 hours, it's very strange and the last 2 months have gone by very quickly. Nepal seems like a lifetime ago and last time I was in England there were Christmas trees up!
I have loved India. It is an absolutely amazing country, and it's HUGE. 2 months does not do it justice in any way, you need at least 2 years to be able to see a decent amount of it. But what I have loved most about it is the people, people always make a place.
The time that best describes why I love the Indian people is when I had insommnia. I hadn't slept well for a couple of days and was walking in Kollam and had originally planned to find somewhere to sit by myself. However, this country has over 1 billion people and being by yourself is not very possible. I ended up sitting on a bridge watching the road. In England I may have worried about looking strange, but I'm a white person in India and therefore am automatically strange and so might as well live up to expectations.
I was essentially people watching and wasn't concentrating very hard on what was going on. However, people walked past me and noticed I was there and were openly curious. Back in the UK people would just have pretended I didn't exist, but this is India, people are not subtle. Sure, I got bemused looks but I have long ago got into the habit of grinning at anyone who stares at me. And most people grin back. Some of the old women looked genuinely happy, if slightly surprised. True, I did get the obligatory lechy looks from many men, but by then I had learnt to ignore that. I got smiles from the men, women and children some of whom even waved at me.
It's very hard to be wrapped up in your own problems in a country when few people seem to walk around wrapped up in theirs. I wasn't really looking to be cheered up, but I was simply by the people walking past me. It's hard enough to be able to be able to cheer someone up if you are trying to, but without even realising it is quite a skill. Before I came I was told to be careful and that Indians would try and rip me off. Yes, the autorickshaw drivers do. But you should never go to a country expecting the worst. I have been helped by many Indians, who have been genuinely willing to help and friendly.
When in Puri I was given a tika by a women on the street simply because I was wearing Indian clothes. She literally took it off her head and gave it to me. I was once sitting on a beach and a random child came up and had a chat with me, for no reason other than I was there (and I was white). The guest house manager in Mumbai was so helpful and always willing to have a chat with me. There are many many more examples over the past 2 months.
I have only been given the opportunity to see this gorgeous country because of AV. They are a wonderful company. When first arriving in Nepal it is slightly daunting, but AV hold your hand when you need it but also let you make your own way when they know you can manage. Any time we had a problem they immediately helped us and we knew that we could ask them anything. Even whilst being in India I would not hesitate to contact AV if we were in serious trouble, and I have no doubt they would do their best to help us. I would recommend Africa, Asia and Americas Venture to anyone.
I am going to miss India a lot and I plan to come back. There is so much more to explore and see and, as is often said, India always serves up surprises!
Friday, 25 June 2010
Only in India...
- Do you sit still and break a sweat
- Do you have to play frogger to cross a road (this is actually quite fun)
- Do you wobble your head in greeting, to say yes, to say maybe, in fact at every given opportunity
- Is 25C considered cold
- Do you get lunch for Rs35 (40p) and get given seconds if you are still able to fit in any more food
- Do you get cricket playing in restaurants
- Do you get a small boy starting at you through the window while you're typing
- Do you get leched on by random men and it be considered normal
- Do random people come up and have a chat with you
- Do you get charged more than three times the price of locals to visit most attractions
- Would you get a room with a bathroom but without a shower head
- Do you get 4 or 5 people fitted into a relatively small autorickshaw
- Do you walk down the road and have to jump over rubble
- Do you get told you're sweating three times a week (this isn't something you normally need updating on)
(the small boy is still there...)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Taj Mahal
I was very excited about seeing the Taj Mahal. It is something that seems so mystical and is definetely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
We got to Agra the day before we wanted to see the Taj as we wanted to see it early in the morning. This meant that I had the afternoon to wander around Agra. I really enjoy just walking around the Indian cities. The people are much more open than at home and, although it is openly curious, I have on the whole stopped minding. I got a massive grin out of a young girl who was looking at my kurta shulwal and seemed slightly bemused by the fact a white person was wearing Indian clothing!
And the next morning we saw the Taj. It's not something that is easy to explain, it looks like all the photos (obviously) but it is completely different actually seeing it for real. It's an amazing building and fully deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. You enter through one of the gateways and the walls are built so you can't see the Taj from outside. This means the first sight you get of it is when you walk through the archway and see the water lined by trees leading up to the Taj Mahal. It's very cleverly built and is an absolutely amazing sight.
We got to Agra the day before we wanted to see the Taj as we wanted to see it early in the morning. This meant that I had the afternoon to wander around Agra. I really enjoy just walking around the Indian cities. The people are much more open than at home and, although it is openly curious, I have on the whole stopped minding. I got a massive grin out of a young girl who was looking at my kurta shulwal and seemed slightly bemused by the fact a white person was wearing Indian clothing!
And the next morning we saw the Taj. It's not something that is easy to explain, it looks like all the photos (obviously) but it is completely different actually seeing it for real. It's an amazing building and fully deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. You enter through one of the gateways and the walls are built so you can't see the Taj from outside. This means the first sight you get of it is when you walk through the archway and see the water lined by trees leading up to the Taj Mahal. It's very cleverly built and is an absolutely amazing sight.
Mumbai
I love cities. I have always loved cities and as far as I can tell I will always love cities. We got an overnight bus to Mumbai and when I woke up and looked out of the window and saw buildings and people I got very excited.
I have now also acted in Bollywood. It's something you read about in the Lonely Planet, but you never really expect a random person to ask you to be an extra for a Bollywood film. However, our hotel manager (who was always lovely and very helpful) asked us as we were heading out to dinner if we would like to be in a film and so the next evening we spent the whole night filming!
We got our hair and make-up done and got given costumes. It's the first time that any effort has been put into my appearance in about 6 months and I almost wanted to apologise for the state of my hair. But it was quite nice not to look like a complete tramp for 12 hours. Plus I got high heels which also means I didn't feel short :) It's always the small things in life.
We then essentially walked around an office for more than 6 hours. The film is called Anjaana (or Anjaani) and is about the stock market crashing. So we were all dressed up as business men and women and marched around when and where the slightly stressed out lady told us to. It was quite fun as I think we all got quite melodramatic with the acting and must have looked ridiculous but, to be honest, no-one ever pays attention to the extras anyway. It was a long night though, and we got fed twice (if you're back-packing this is a big deal) with really good food (I'm not sure Indians can do bad Indian food) and we got paid! Absolutely pittance, but that's not the point. We also got back at 5 in the morning (they have to film overnight so that the office block isn't being used) and so were absolutley knackered.
We still got up and did the walking tour in the afternoon. Mumbai is a great city and the walking tour only gives you the surface impression. I think the most memorable building (it may only have been a week and a half, but a lot happens in a week and a half) was the High Court. It reminded me a little of Hogwarts, which is probably degrading it by comparing it to an imaginary castle in a children's book, but it gives the idea of how big it was. It had beautiful carvings and must be an amazing place to work, as it is still very much in use. Apparently there is a carving of a monkey playing with the scales of justice but, unfortunately, I couldn't spot it. For anyone who's read Shantaram we later ate at Leopold's. Apparently what looks like a bullet hole in the wall is a real bullet hole. This isn't verified though...
The last thing that we saw in Mumbai was the Prince of Wales Museum. This has another name but I can't remember it as it is very long and I left my journal in the room at the guest house. This is another very impressive museum and for the (completely over-inflated) foreign tourist price you get a free audio tour. I listened to this for roughly 10 minutes before wandering about as I chose and switching on the audio when I happened to see a number. The museum has a number of exhibits, including Nepal-Tibetan (which was quite nostaglic), animals, European paintings, Chinese snuff boxes and porcelain. It was a very extensive range and a very impressive one. My favourite was one of poems that accompanied the paintings. I am going to miss the art here!
I have now also acted in Bollywood. It's something you read about in the Lonely Planet, but you never really expect a random person to ask you to be an extra for a Bollywood film. However, our hotel manager (who was always lovely and very helpful) asked us as we were heading out to dinner if we would like to be in a film and so the next evening we spent the whole night filming!
We got our hair and make-up done and got given costumes. It's the first time that any effort has been put into my appearance in about 6 months and I almost wanted to apologise for the state of my hair. But it was quite nice not to look like a complete tramp for 12 hours. Plus I got high heels which also means I didn't feel short :) It's always the small things in life.
We then essentially walked around an office for more than 6 hours. The film is called Anjaana (or Anjaani) and is about the stock market crashing. So we were all dressed up as business men and women and marched around when and where the slightly stressed out lady told us to. It was quite fun as I think we all got quite melodramatic with the acting and must have looked ridiculous but, to be honest, no-one ever pays attention to the extras anyway. It was a long night though, and we got fed twice (if you're back-packing this is a big deal) with really good food (I'm not sure Indians can do bad Indian food) and we got paid! Absolutely pittance, but that's not the point. We also got back at 5 in the morning (they have to film overnight so that the office block isn't being used) and so were absolutley knackered.
We still got up and did the walking tour in the afternoon. Mumbai is a great city and the walking tour only gives you the surface impression. I think the most memorable building (it may only have been a week and a half, but a lot happens in a week and a half) was the High Court. It reminded me a little of Hogwarts, which is probably degrading it by comparing it to an imaginary castle in a children's book, but it gives the idea of how big it was. It had beautiful carvings and must be an amazing place to work, as it is still very much in use. Apparently there is a carving of a monkey playing with the scales of justice but, unfortunately, I couldn't spot it. For anyone who's read Shantaram we later ate at Leopold's. Apparently what looks like a bullet hole in the wall is a real bullet hole. This isn't verified though...
The last thing that we saw in Mumbai was the Prince of Wales Museum. This has another name but I can't remember it as it is very long and I left my journal in the room at the guest house. This is another very impressive museum and for the (completely over-inflated) foreign tourist price you get a free audio tour. I listened to this for roughly 10 minutes before wandering about as I chose and switching on the audio when I happened to see a number. The museum has a number of exhibits, including Nepal-Tibetan (which was quite nostaglic), animals, European paintings, Chinese snuff boxes and porcelain. It was a very extensive range and a very impressive one. My favourite was one of poems that accompanied the paintings. I am going to miss the art here!
Goa
This was a long time ago but I haven't had time to update...
Goa is essentially beaches, we spent a couple of nights in the capital and saw Old Goa. This is mainly Churches from when Goa was Portugese. They are famed as some of the biggest and most impressive Churches in India. However, none of us were particularly taken with them. Especailly after the bright colours and bold painting of the Buddhist Temples, it seemed quite drab! The most impressive thing were the ruins. If the building had been maintained then it would be very impressive, it seemed huge. It was the middle of the day though and brick gets surprisingly hot!
The rest of Goa is essentially beaches. We stayed in two different places; Baga and Anjuna. Baga has a beautiful beach and we were able to eat dinner there. It's also the place we've seen with most white people. It's strange seeing so many after such a long time! In Anjuna we got a very good guest house. It had a hammock and I spent a lot of my day sitting in it, I had also found a very good book in Baga and so was happy to sit and read and just chill out.
It was nice to relax for a while, and Goa's reputation for beauty is not undeserved. We visited one fort and it was gorgeous. It had the most beautiful scenery I think I have ever seen. It was easy to just sit and watch the ocean. It makes me miss it just thinking about it!
Goa is essentially beaches, we spent a couple of nights in the capital and saw Old Goa. This is mainly Churches from when Goa was Portugese. They are famed as some of the biggest and most impressive Churches in India. However, none of us were particularly taken with them. Especailly after the bright colours and bold painting of the Buddhist Temples, it seemed quite drab! The most impressive thing were the ruins. If the building had been maintained then it would be very impressive, it seemed huge. It was the middle of the day though and brick gets surprisingly hot!
The rest of Goa is essentially beaches. We stayed in two different places; Baga and Anjuna. Baga has a beautiful beach and we were able to eat dinner there. It's also the place we've seen with most white people. It's strange seeing so many after such a long time! In Anjuna we got a very good guest house. It had a hammock and I spent a lot of my day sitting in it, I had also found a very good book in Baga and so was happy to sit and read and just chill out.
It was nice to relax for a while, and Goa's reputation for beauty is not undeserved. We visited one fort and it was gorgeous. It had the most beautiful scenery I think I have ever seen. It was easy to just sit and watch the ocean. It makes me miss it just thinking about it!
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Elephants, Caves and Waterfalls
Whilst in Kerala we went to the Waynad National Park which is meant to be the nicest place in an already very beautiful state. Just the bus journey to the Park had spectacular views and monkeys chilling out by the side of the road.
We went on a jeep trip around the park and for this you get a guide who point out all the animals. Within the first 5 minutes we had seen domestic elephants and some spotted deer. We also saw bysons and later a whole herd of the spotted deer, which are very majestic creatures. The best bit, of course, was the wild elephants. It was getting to the end of the circuit and we happened to pass them on the track. There was maybe 5 to 10 of them, including a one month old calf. It's great seeing the herd dynamic and how protective they are over their young, plus I've now seen wild elephants :)
On the same day we also saw what is listed in the Lonely Planet as a cave. It is, however, a rock shelter which means that it is a gap between two rocks with some huge rocks fallen over the top so it is partially covered. It's pretty cool though as it has 3000 year old carvings on the walls and a very nice Indian man explained some of them to us. There was a chieftain, a woman, an elephant and a peacock with two inscriptions; one in Tamil and the other in Sanscrit. It was nice to have them pointd out to us as otherwise we probably wouldn't have noticed it.
We also went to a waterfall and we sat and watched it for a while as it is always quite hypnotising watching waterfalls. The walk to it was also great but isn't designed for those without much agility. That is one major difference about India, they haven't got the insane political correctness and general nanny-state going and so you get the beautiful scenery without it being wrecked by 101 signs telling you that a surface may be slippery when wet.
We are now in Goa and tomorrow are heading to the beach, and Goa is meant to have some of the nicest beaches in India and as we have already seen some very beautiful beaches, it should be good!
We went on a jeep trip around the park and for this you get a guide who point out all the animals. Within the first 5 minutes we had seen domestic elephants and some spotted deer. We also saw bysons and later a whole herd of the spotted deer, which are very majestic creatures. The best bit, of course, was the wild elephants. It was getting to the end of the circuit and we happened to pass them on the track. There was maybe 5 to 10 of them, including a one month old calf. It's great seeing the herd dynamic and how protective they are over their young, plus I've now seen wild elephants :)
On the same day we also saw what is listed in the Lonely Planet as a cave. It is, however, a rock shelter which means that it is a gap between two rocks with some huge rocks fallen over the top so it is partially covered. It's pretty cool though as it has 3000 year old carvings on the walls and a very nice Indian man explained some of them to us. There was a chieftain, a woman, an elephant and a peacock with two inscriptions; one in Tamil and the other in Sanscrit. It was nice to have them pointd out to us as otherwise we probably wouldn't have noticed it.
We also went to a waterfall and we sat and watched it for a while as it is always quite hypnotising watching waterfalls. The walk to it was also great but isn't designed for those without much agility. That is one major difference about India, they haven't got the insane political correctness and general nanny-state going and so you get the beautiful scenery without it being wrecked by 101 signs telling you that a surface may be slippery when wet.
We are now in Goa and tomorrow are heading to the beach, and Goa is meant to have some of the nicest beaches in India and as we have already seen some very beautiful beaches, it should be good!
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
The Houseboat
Well, we are now in Kerala, which is south-west India and it contains a load of rivers and the best way to see them is on a houseboat. As it is off-season we got a really nice houseboat for a relatively cheap price. It had a huge seating area at the bow of the boat, which was great as on a houseboat you mainly just relax!
The first morning it started raining as the monsoon had hit Kerala the day before. However, you're not really on a boat until it starts raining and so we just sat and watched the rain and I loved it. Along the river banks are basically a load of trees interspersed with random buildings and villages. The kids are all really enthusiastic and happy to wave at everyone. There was even one kid making faces and, as I'm nice and mature, I didn't make them back.
In the afternoon we got a 'complimentary' canoe trip. This was along the smaller rivers that come off the main river. We had a great guide, who knew a lot about random trees and stuff. We even got to try a freshly picked cashew nut!
To be honest there isn't a whole lot to say, as the point of a houseboat is just to chill out and watch the world go by. Which we did, along with some drinking...
The first morning it started raining as the monsoon had hit Kerala the day before. However, you're not really on a boat until it starts raining and so we just sat and watched the rain and I loved it. Along the river banks are basically a load of trees interspersed with random buildings and villages. The kids are all really enthusiastic and happy to wave at everyone. There was even one kid making faces and, as I'm nice and mature, I didn't make them back.
In the afternoon we got a 'complimentary' canoe trip. This was along the smaller rivers that come off the main river. We had a great guide, who knew a lot about random trees and stuff. We even got to try a freshly picked cashew nut!
To be honest there isn't a whole lot to say, as the point of a houseboat is just to chill out and watch the world go by. Which we did, along with some drinking...
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